Beyond the Night
by Vovo
Summary: When the sun rests and the night arrives, invisible emotions lurk in the shadows, float in the mist of time and live in the dark waters of men's dreams. Yaoi/Slash. Sima Shi/Zhou Yu. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors are not mine. I'm not making any profit from writing this story.

**Beta-reader:** I have to thank **Nightlore** once more for being the beta for this fic ^^

**Warning/Notes: This story has Sima Shi and Zhou Yu in romantic situations with mature content. I don't usually accept requests because I can't always write what the person asks, but in this case I accepted for a reason. I had never thought of this pairing before ThoughtsFlyin sent me a PM and it was difficult to think of a way to get Sima Shi and Zhou Yu together. My solution was to put them in some kind of alternate Warriors Orochi universe like my second Zhao Yun/Yukimura story. It's not exactly in the Warriors Orochi storyline, but it has the same idea of mixing different characters from different ages, reviving all of them and making them live at the same time. It will be vaguely inspired in some Warriors Orochi 3 events, but I don't think someone needs to play the game to understand this story. There will be some guest characters from Samurai Warriors and there will be other characters from Dynasty Warriors, but the main relationship is still Sima Shi and Zhou Yu. As the title and the summary may suggest, it is kind of a tale to be read at night before going to bed.**

* * *

**Beyond the Night**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

In the deepest hours of night, while most people were resting soundly, Zhou Yu was still awake, thinking about how he ended up being in that place—a castle high up on the highest hill, covered by thick strong walls, surrounded by a deep green forest. It seemed they were the closest to the high sky above; sometimes the mist was so thick in that region that they could imagine they were inside the cold white clouds. That night was one of those nights covered in that deep mist. If Zhou Yu opened his window he wouldn't be able to see a thing outside, only a foggy darkness; he could hear no sound outside, as if even the nocturnal nightlife was hiding somewhere far away.

Zhou Yu knew it was better if he went to sleep, but thoughts can be imposing in their need to show themselves. It wasn't the first night that Zhou Yu had been awake at late hours. He often caught himself still in the middle of battle plans and strategies while he served under Wu…

…A long time ago.

He remembered the feeling of finding himself, suddenly, in another land, a different land, perhaps a different world, different eras merged together in a chaotic puzzle. It had happened before; the dead came to life once again, to fight another battle, and enemies became friends, and friends became distant.

One day he wasn't home anymore; he was alone, in the middle of the night, in the middle of a road. There was no horse that could make his journey shorter; there was no friend to keep him company; there was only the wind urging him forward, and the road.

Days passed and he could find no living soul. He kept on walking driven by a pure determination, even though his body was already failing to keep the same pace of the first days and his senses were almost abandoning him.

On the fifth night he reached a village; it was silent and dark, no lights could be seen. Zhou Yu only remembered a glimpse of it before his eyes were clouded by the darkness of a deep exhaustion.

When his eyes opened again, he was on a bed. It felt warm and his nostrils acknowledged the scent of a soup. He ate and drank and was given clothes. He thanked the family that found him and took care of him.

Everyone in the village was curious about Zhou Yu. They could tell he was no ordinary man by the way he looked, by the way he moved, by the way he talked and expressed his ideas. They cherished his company in curious conversations and were pleased in giving him presents; the modest presents their simple lives could afford.

Although Zhou Yu found peace being among the villagers, he knew there was something out there for him, he couldn't stay long. Eager to find a clue about his friends, he asked everyone, but there was nothing that could bring him any information about Sun Ce or anyone he knew. There was nothing around them it seemed. They were as if they were lost at the end of the world. The only relevant notion was that, in a three days walk, a castle existed on a high place surrounded by forest. The villagers warned him not to get near that area. It seemed the forest was the lair of unknown creatures that lurked in the night. They said those creatures could eat a man's soul.

Zhou Yu wasn't convinced by the villagers' stories; he could find no proof those ideas were something more than pure and simple imagination. Determined to solve the mystery and perhaps finding a clue to where his allies were, he headed to the castle against the plea of the loving people that had welcomed him. The only thing that made the villagers allow him to go was the hope that that man was special; he could be some sort of hero they had only found in tales.

Nothing out of the ordinary happened in Zhou Yu's way and by the second night he found himself already inside the forest. He set a fire and prepared to have dinner… until he started to hear faint sounds; to his ear, they clearly meant danger. He extinguished the fire and looked around, keeping himself still and quiet. As the time passed, the sounds became even more evident, and Zhou Yu's heart trembled in his chest. Sounds of something coming closer; something brushing against the leaves and the ground. For a moment, the dark forest became even darker, until flickering flames came out in between the trees. Zhou Yu found himself surrounded by shadows and torches, before a presence appeared from the dark… And then the light illuminated the figure and Zhou Yu could stare at the face of a man. He definitely looked human and his body seemed to be made of flesh and bones; even so, he had some kind of mysterious aura, a hypnotizing presence that made his gaze fix on him enthralled. The man was slightly taller than him, dark-haired and fair-skinned, with handsome features and clothes that made him look like a noble figure.

"Who are you?" Zhou Yu finally found the strength to ask.

The man only smiled for a moment, a half smirk and a playful gleam in his eyes. "You don't know me, but I was looking for you," the man finally said.

"Looking for me?" Zhou Yu stared around and found several soldiers coming out from the darkness with torches in their hands.

"Yes, looking for you," the man chuckled. "I heard there was quite a commotion in my lands. By the way people described you, I knew someone notable had appeared. Although I didn't know who you were, I could guess." He stared at Zhou Yu, as if analyzing him deeply. "The words weren't exaggerated after all," the man smiled—a contorted but brief smile. Then his face became serious, "You are Zhou Yu, aren't you?"

Being discovered both unnerved and amazed Zhou Yu. He finally found a person who knew who he was and maybe had information of where his friends were, but… was it a good thing to be found out by that man? He didn't know him. "Your land, you said," he tried to find out more about that man.

"Yes, I said."

"I'm surprised you found me, I thought that was a forgotten village."

"I know everything that happens in my kingdom. I knew that you would be here. As I said, I was looking for you."

"And what do you intend to do now that you found me?"

The man smiled; the man Zhou Yu came to know was Sima Shi, the son of Wei's strategist Sima Yi. At the time, he was only beginning to establish a kingdom and conquer the nearby lands. Since then, Zhou Yu agreed on serving him as a strategist, having no other option it seemed. It had been… years since then…

"Why are you still awake at this time of night?"

Zhou Yu blinked in surprise when he realized Sima Shi was in his room, standing in the middle of it. Somehow, the man was able to enter without alerting his senses…

_I must have been really distracted…_ Zhou Yu thought to himself.

"Is there something on your mind?" Sima Shi came closer and stood in front of Zhou Yu.

"I've been thinking…"

"Thinking about?"

"The time we first met."

"Does thinking of me keep you awake for so long?" Sima Shi smirked.

Zhou Yu opened his mouth to speak, but looked at his new lord's face and narrowed his eyes slightly.

Sima Shi chuckled.

Zhou Yu rolled his eyes, "Should you not be sleeping at this hour?"

"I should."

"So what are you doing here?"

"I've been thinking too…" A bright gleam surged in Sima Shi's eyes, "…And these thoughts don't let me sleep. I was thinking… that we should take a step forward in our path of conquest."

Zhou Yu knew what Sima Shi meant. Over the years they have gained more power and conquered many lands, but what Sima Shi meant was trying to take the territory of an established and powerful ruler, "I think it might not be the best time."

"It is the perfect time for we to take action, you know that."

Zhou Yu sighed and remained silent for a moment, before finally asking, "But how can we cross the distance between our lands? You know we don't have the naval force to sail with our troops."

Sima Shi smiled, "I have a friend."

Zhou Yu arched one eyebrow in confusion and suspicion, "A friend?"

"Yes, a friend."

"Can we trust this friend of yours?"

"He will provide us with a fleet."

"And what will he ask in return?"

Sima Shi smiled. "I said he was a friend. Don't you know that when people are friends they do things without asking something in return?"

"I have reasons to believe it's not as simple as you put it," Zhou Yu said in a calm and calculated tone, but they both knew what his words implied.

"Do you think I'm not telling you the truth?" Sima Shi asked in the same manner.

"Sometimes I don't know what is really behind your words," Zhou Yu confessed.

"On the contrary, you know exactly what my words mean, you always know."

"Perhaps you're right."

"You don't need to answer me now, but it needs to be soon. I won't do anything without you, but you know it's what I want… and I always get what I want," he looked deeply into Zhou Yu's eyes and brushed some strands of his strategist's hair aside to whisper in his ear, "Good night."

xxx

The next day came and the hours passed quickly, until it the night had fallen over the world again.

Zhou Yu had been walking outside the castle; his footsteps echoed whenever they made contact with the stones on the floor. The night was covered by a mantle of fog and the air around was humid, covering the strategist's fine clothes with a thin layer of water drops. He had been surrounded only by the stone walls and sculptures of stone on the way, before he realized he was been followed.

"I guess you can't sleep," Zhou Yu said.

"Nope," the voice said.

Zhou Yu turned and stared at Sima Zhao's smiling face. He was so different from his brother… in so many ways; even so they shared an undeniable bond and understanding of each other.

"What is keeping you awake?" Zhou Yu asked in curiosity.

"I've been thinking…" Sima Zhao said.

"Oh…?"

"I've been thinking… this castle is so cold and I barely see the sun."

"I agree," Zhou Yu didn't know what else to say, he wasn't exactly expecting that answer.

"And you, what have you been thinking?" Sima Zhao asked.

"I was making a decision…"

"You will agree, won't you? My brother always gets what he wants."

Zhou Yu blinked and was surprised once again. It seemed Sima Shi's brother wasn't as oblivious as he pretended he was.

"I haven't decided yet."

"You know… I'm not that eager for a battle… but… it would be nice to go somewhere else…"

"We won't be on a leisure trip, I mean, if we decide to make our move," Zhou Yu said.

"Yeah, I know… What I mean is… that would be good to leave this place for a while."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well… you know… this castle… Doesn't it give you the creeps sometimes? You know what they say… I know I shouldn't believe those things, but… I do hear some strange noises in the middle of the night… When I think that everything is silent… then…. Those strange noises… and… the feeling of something coming closer... It's not that I'm afraid or anything like that…"

"I know," Zhou Yu chuckled.

"Do you think it's funny, don't you?" Sima Zhao laughed.

"No… I agree… sometimes… Well… I guess we should go back inside."

"Yeah… it's too cold out here."

They both went back inside the castle, until they reached the point when they should follow their own way.

"Well… Good night," Zhou Yu said, but saw a curious look on Sima Zhao's face, "What is it?"

Sima Zhao chuckled and scratched his head. "Oh… nothing…"

"Nothing?"

"It's just that you look good tonight… I mean… you always look good."

Once more Zhou Yu was surprised by something that Sima Zhao said. "Thank you," he said slightly embarrassed. "I confess I wasn't really expecting that…"

"Yeah, I know," Sima Zhao laughed. "So… good night then."

"Good night."

Zhou Yu saw the tall young man turning and heading to his room, so he made his way to his own room too. When he was there, he could say he was surprised once again by seeing who was inside.

"What are you doing here at this hour?"

Sima Shi smiled, "I was anxious… to know your answer."

"Why do you think I have my answer?"

"I just know…" the man chuckled. He seemed very happy. "When will we start to plan our departure?"

"Tomorrow morning, I guess," Zhou Yu answered softly.

"I'll be waiting for you tomorrow then…"

For a moment, Zhou Yu thought the man would come in his direction, but he only smiled a satisfied smile and walked out of the room. Zhou Yu was once more perplexed at one of the Sima brothers… even though he came to know them better over the years, sometimes he just couldn't predict what they would do next.

Zhou Yu tried to brush the thoughts out of his mind and prepared himself for sleep. When he was in bed, he fell easily into a sweet dream-like state, despite of the emotions that the soon to be battle would evoke. In his sleep he heard the wind rattling against the windows and scratching the furniture furtively. He did not hear footsteps… but he felt their weight over the floor, one by one, coming closer. Someone crawled over the bed and in his sleep Zhou Yu felt the scent of a warm skin and something touch him. Zhou Yu opened his eyes and lifted himself slightly to look around. He saw no one else in the room, it was empty and quiet, as if it had always been like that.

xxx

In the next days, Zhou Yu spent his time with the preparations for their next battle. His mind was almost always occupied with his planning, except for the late hours of the night. He tried not to show it, but his mind was distracted with some thoughts… that kept him awake until sleep finally overcame his senses, and he could drown into his dreams.

xxx

The fleet had arrived and they were loading the ships at the docks in the last preparations for the journey to foreign lands. At that day, Zhou Yu could finally take a look at Sima Shi's friend. He was slightly taller, probably the same height of Sima Shi and he dressed in a peculiar way… Zhou Yu had seen him before, a memory that seemed to be of another life, but he knew it was another one of those events when the laws of time were broken and the chaos emerged. Even though the style wasn't exact the same, he recognized the Japanese clothes and leather, the white bangs that fell over his face in contrast with the dark hair on the back side of his head.

"They say he's a musician, we can ask him to play something for us to entertain us on our trip."

Zhou Yu saw Sima Zhao beside him and just stared him.

"You don't seem too excited about him… I don't know him yet, but if Shi trusts him…"

"I can't say I like him, I need to… know him better…" Zhou Yu decided not to make a rash judgment.

As if magically hearing their conversation, the man gave a last instruction for the soldiers loading the ships and came to Zhou Yu's and Sima Zhao's direction. There was a smile on his face and up close they could see his handsome features… and a blue pattern that looked like a tattoo.

"So you're Motochika Chosokabe, it's a pleasure to meet my brother's friend," Sima Zhao said as soon as the man stopped in front of them.

"It's a pleasure to meet my friend's brother too," Motochika said in a deep and melodious voice. "And you… I suppose we've met before…" he smiled.

"Yes, we've met before. I'm Zhou Yu, I've been serving lord Sima Shi."

"Zhou Yu, yes… I remember you…" there was a mysterious expression on Motochika's face, but before he could say something more, Sima Shi reached the group.

"I see I have no need to introduce you, as you introduced yourself already."

"I was curious to meet them, so I didn't wait." Motochika stared at Sima Shi and then kept staring.

"What?" the man was confused by that stare.

"You and your brother… you don't seem alike…" Motochika chuckled.

"I took after my mother," Sima Zhao answered. "And Shi took after our father."

"Oh… yes, I had the… pleasure of meeting Sima Yi before…"

"Well…" Sima Shi said, "Now that we are all here, I think we should leave as soon as possible."

"If you so desire…" Motochika answered.

"Are all the preparations done?"

"Yes," Motochika and Zhou Yu answered in unison.

"…Wait," Sima Zhao said and seemed to be deep in thought.

"Zhao, the only thing I asked of you was to be here for this battle…" Sima Shi said.

"Oh… yes," Sima Zhao said. "I thought I had forgotten something… Alright, let's go!" the younger brother walked happily towards the ship.

Sima Shi whispered deeply and then stared beside him, when he heard a chuckle, "What is it now?"

Motochika stopped his chuckle for a while to answer, "You two are really not alike."

"Yes…" Sima Shi started to walk to the ship's direction. "I wish my brother could be more responsible… he seems like he doesn't have a care in this world."

"Why would he need to if he has a brother like you to take care of things for him?"

"Even if I could, I can't take care of everything on my own…" Sima Shi said.

"That's why you have friends to count on… like me…" Motochika glanced at Zhou Yu. "Or that new strategist of yours…"

Zhou Yu kept a distance from the two of them, but he could tell they were speaking of him.

"You need to tell me… more about it…" Motochika said in a whispered tone as he gave a look to Sima Shi, who simply looked back, but remained quiet.

When the sunlight came to rest and the night reigned over the sky, they were already sailing on deep waters, closer to what destiny had in store for them.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	2. Chapter 2

**Beyond the Night**

**Chapter 2**

"Wow… it's quite a bad time, isn't it?" Sima Zhao said.

They had been sailing for 3 days and as soon as the second night came, the calm weather changed drastically, giving way to a violent storm. Through the windows they could see the flashes of lightning cutting the horizon; resounding in an angry explosion was the never-ceasing thunder that seemed to shake the skies. The ship accompanied the movement of the waters, moving from side to side, like dancing to a dangerous waltz of death.

Sima Zhao was trying to have his dinner, but was challenged by the dishes sliding over the table with some of the abrupt movements of the ship.

"Come back here," he said to a rebel meat bun that decided to roll away and stop on his brother's hand. It was with sadness that he saw the last baozi meeting its fate at Sima Shi's mouth.

Unaware of his brother's suffering, Sima Shi ate the meat bun contently and went back to drinking his wine.

Sima Zhao sighed in defeat, he knew he was out of luck that night.

"What's wrong, Zhao?" Sima Shi asked.

"Oh… nothing…" He knew better not to argue over one baozi with his brother. Sima Zhao was almost resigned to the fact there would be no more food for him that night and was contemplating going back to his room when he heard something. "Did you hear that?" he stared back at Sima Shi.

"Hear what?"

"A sound… like music…"

"Like that?" a deep voice said.

"Ahhhhhhhh!" Sima Zhao jumped out of his chair. "Oh, it's you," he looked at Motochika who was at the corner of the dining cabin, almost hidden by the shadows of the scarcely-lit room. "I didn't realize you were here."

"Well… now you know I'm here…" Motochika said in a low voice and went back to playing some notes on his shamisen.

"For a moment I thought it was one those beings…"

"What kind of beings?" Motochika asked.

"Those ones people say they find when they're sailing. They say they sing such exotic melody, that hypnotizes the men and they end up leaving their ships to die," a shiver ran down Sima Zhao's spine.

"And do they play the shamisen too?" Motochika chuckled.

"Who knows… they could play some instruments too…"

"Tell me more about them," Motochika said in amusement.

"I heard the men say that deep waters were the lair of those creatures that look like women, but from waist down have the tale of a fish!" Sima Zhao said in amazement. "They can have scales covering their arms and some of them have silver skin. Even being so exotic, they are so beautiful! They have very long silky hair of every different color and they have the face of angels… But they're evil… very evil… The thing is that even being evil creatures, the men are so enamored by their exquisite beauty and voices that they don't feel afraid of them and reach out for them… to be pulled into the water, never to be seen again."

"You're not telling the whole story, Zhao," Sima Shi said and continued the tale. "They say that after deceiving the crew of ships with their singing, they would warp their arms around the men and choke them with their strength, because they are diabolic beings. A man struggles once he realizes the trap, but then it is too late already. Those evil creatures will tear the man's body apart, each one of them pulling each limb, until the man is no longer in one piece. Then they will open their mouths and reveal sharp fangs to eat their most appreciated dish, which is human flesh. Then they will keep on feasting on the man's body, drinking his blood and then sucking on his bones, until there's nothing more left of him."

"I remember the times you used to tell me stories when I was young…" Sima Zhao said. "That must be why I always had nightmares afterwards…"

Sima Shi chuckled, "Did I ever tell you this story? I always liked this story. Such naughty creatures, aren't they?"

"Perhaps they are not evil," another voice said.

"Why do you say that, Zhou Yu?" Sima Shi asked.

The black-haired strategist had been silently standing by the window, watching the dark waves crashing against the sides of the ship and the dark purple sky lit up with lightning. "Perhaps the only way they know to survive is eating human flesh. They do that because they know no other way," Zhou Yu said in a calm voice as he kept staring at the tempest outside.

"Even so, I wouldn't want to meet them," Sima Zhao said. "I mean… I'm curious to know how they look like and to hear them sing, but I don't want to go near them."

"They say the kind of creatures live in these waters," Motochika said. "It's what the men say."

"Are you serious?" Sima Zhao asked.

"Yes, I am."

"Have you ever seen one?"

"I think I saw one once," Motochika said.

"Was she beautiful?"

"Yes, very much."

"How was her voice?"

"It was something I've never heard before, something that didn't belong to this world."

"And how did you survive?"

"I played for her and she was so captivated, she lost her will to kill me. Then I rushed into my room and locked the door, not leaving the place until morning."

Sima Zhao laughed, "I don't believe you."

"But it's true," Motochika replied with a grin.

"Alright… I think it's time for me to go to bed," Sima Zhao stretched his arms and yawned, "So much for stories tonight."

"Don't forget to lock the door," Motochika said.

"Ookay, I won't forget." With those words, Sima Zhao left the chamber.

"I think it's time for me to go too…" Zhou Yu said before he exited the place, leaving Sima Shi and Motochika alone.

For a moment, there were no more words spoken. Only the lonely sound of the shamisen played over the room, while Sima Shi finished his drink.

"Aren't you going to go after him?" Motochika finally asked, his eyes still fixed on the Japanese instrument.

"Why are you asking this?" Sima Shi left the cup on the table and walked to Motochika's direction, until he was crouched before him.

Motochika finally looked up and stared straight at Sima Shi's eyes. "Isn't it what you desire?"

"Does it bother you?"

"Who am I to tell you what you should or should not do."

Sima Shi kept his gaze locked to Motochika's one moment more, before standing up and leaving the room. Motochika saw one last glimpse of clothes and heard slow footsteps over the wooden floor before being left to his lonely song.

xxx

Zhou Yu crossed the narrow corridors inside the ship to reach his room, but was surprised to find someone waiting at his door.

"What are you doing here?"

Sima Zhao scratched the back of his head and finally said, "Will you let me sleep in your room?"

Zhou Yu arched an eyebrow for the suspicious question. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Well… let us say it seems kind of lonely in my room… I mean… I hear some strange sounds at night… not only the wood creaking… but… something like a whistle sound… and…"

"Are you afraid?"

"No! It's just that… It's strange, you know."

"It must be something in the ship."

"Yes, like a restless spirit!" Sima Zhao exclaimed.

"I meant something like the mechanism of the ship…"

"Oh that… it can be that too... Anyway… can I sleep here?"

It was then Sima Shi arrived and stared in question at his brother, "What are you doing here?"

"Why are you staring at me like that, brother? I'm just asking to sleep here… I can stay anywhere… We can all stay here together."

Sima Shi just stared at his brother in disbelief.

"Alright! I got it… I'm going back to my room…" Sima Zhao gave up on his idea and turned to head to his room. "See you guys tomorrow," he waved and left.

"And what are you doing here?" Zhou Yu stared at the older brother standing at his doorway, but then sighed and gave up on his question, "Never mind… Come in."

Sima Shi entered Zhou Yu's cabin and sat on his bed. Zhou Yu closed the door and stared at him for a moment, "I'm going to get changed."

"Go on," Sima Shi said.

Zhou Yu sighed deeply and saw there was nothing he could do to change Sima Shi's intent. He undressed, aware that he was being stared at, but he tried to brush the thoughts out of his mind, pretending he was alone in his room. Then he put on a light white robe and walked to his bed. He saw that Sima Shi was lying comfortably on the mattress and sat beside him, but with his back to him. For a long moment, they remained in silence, until Sima Shi broke it.

"Tell me the question that is eating up your soul?" he could tell Zhou Yu had something troubling his mind.

Zhou Yu seemed uneasy for a moment, but finally asked, "What is he to you?"

Sima Shi remained silent for a short while and then replied, "I told you he's a friend," then he chuckled.

"What is so funny?" Zhou Yu turned to stare at Sima Shi's smiling face.

"Your question… It amuses me…"

"Oh…" Zhou Yu stared at Sima Shi with a barely contained irritation.

"You know what it means, don't you?"

Zhou Yu sighed, "What are you implying?"

Sima Shi just smiled at him.

The strategist turned away once again, to avoid Sima Shi's smiling gaze. Zhou Yu was there mourning over his verbal defeat, when he felt his robe being pushed down, to fall gracefully on the mattress. His pale skin was exposed to the faint light of the moon that bathed the room in a sensuous way. A gloved hand slid down his naked back and he closed his eyes; it was as if something was screaming in his soul and he felt like crying.

At that moment, all the laughter had died down and Sima Shi's voice floated velvet-like through the air, "Don't you miss being touched?"

"Please, don't do this to me," Zhou Yu put his robes back on and covered himself once again.

In a sudden move, Sima Shi got up from the bed and walked toward the door.

"Where are you going?" Zhou Yu asked in alarm with the unexpected reaction.

"Leaving you to your ghosts," Sima Shi said gravely, before leaving the room.

"My ghosts?" Zhou Yu asked alone to himself.

xxx

That night Zhou Yu dreamed he was mounted on a white horse, following another white horse. Even though the other animal was sealed, there was no one mounting it—the horse followed on his way without command. After passing the dark fields, the horse that was leading the way stopped at the entrance of a forest. Zhou Yu dismounted and glanced at the white animal that stood in its place, before concluding that he should follow the rest of the way alone. So the strategist left the two horses and entered the forest.

It was very quiet.

Zhou Yu reached a clearing and realized he had been bare feet as he felt the wet soil, the drenched grass brushing over his skin as he made his way deeper into the clearing. He also realized he had very light clothes on, only a white robe that moved gently with the blowing of the wind. His eyes caught flashes of movement behind the trees that circled the forest, tiny sparkles of light that shone and then vanished in the air. He noticed he had been surrounded by fireflies that danced in the air, floating, burning the darkness of the night in an uncommon fiery color. Paying more attention to his surroundings, Zhou Yu realized there were several pieces of red armor scattered around the area. There were helmets and chest plates as well as shields and weapons, such as swords, spears and arrows, all stuck in the drenched ground. Looking down, he saw the earth was covered by a layer of a red liquid that colored his white clothes while he walked. Then he stared again at the trees surrounding him and noticed their trunks were painted red.

Walking ahead, he found a pond of crystalline water.

"Where am I?" Zhou You asked.

"_This is where your death begins,"_ a soft voice replied.

"And what is it?" Zhou Yu asked in reference to the pond.

"_It is where all your unshed tears lie,"_ the voice said.

He crouched near the pond and saw his reflection clearly staring back at him. He could see the dark hair and the pale skin and his curious gaze. His fingers reached out to the surface of the water and the reflected image made it look like he was reaching out to himself. His eyes saw the surface of the water twirl softly as he deepened his fingers into the pond. It was then he felt his hand being pulled by his own reflection—that submerged beneath the water. Zhou Yu let himself fall into the pond. Staring down he saw only darkness, even if he tried to find and end to it, he couldn't. So he turned his body so he could face the surface again and saw the crystalline blue waters dancing above him. He felt vines circle his body and hold him in a loving embrace that locked him in the middle of the pond. Zhou Yu felt the loss of air, but made no effort to free himself. He just kept staring up and he could find a light above—it was the light of a blue moon that shone in a blue sky. He saw it in a crescent phase and quickly becoming a full moon. Its light kept turning before his eyes until it vanished completely in a new moon, stopping at a crescent stage again. It was then he saw a hand appearing from the surface. He stared at it in silent admiration, before he reached out to it slowly, until he felt fingers interlace with his. Zhou Yu felt himself being pulled up and when he reached out the surface, he took a deep breath and woke up.

xxx

The day began and the storm kept following the fleet, haunting it with the incessant pouring of water; the clouds covering the sky day and night.

Sima Zhao sat by the table at the dinner room lit by cheerful lamps. He saw his brother coming inside—a not very pleased expression on his face.

"Are you alright, brother?" Sima Zhao stood up and studied Sima Shi's face. He then put his hands over his shoulders and started to massage them. "You're tense."

"I didn't have a good night, that's all…" Sima Shi closed his eyes and felt his brother's hands soothe away his tension.

"Oh… I didn't have a good night either…" Sima Zhao started to remember the details of his dream. "Remember that time when I was a kid and you told me the story of the sea monster? I dreamed of it. I saw it coming towards our ship."

"Don't worry, Zhao, the sea monster won't catch us, we are in a river," Sima Shi smirked.

"Yes, but… what if the monster goes up river? Who, says 'no, monster, you stay in the sea.'?"

"Monsters don't exist…" Sima Shi felt his brother's hand stopping their motion for a moment. "Don't stop."

Sima Zhao obeyed his brother's command and continued on his massage. "Yeah, I know… it was just a dream… but it was so scary… It was huge and it had tentacles and horns and the mouth… it had so many teeth… Oh… and the eyes… the eyes were looking at me, saying 'I'm gonna eat you, you will be my lunch.'"

A deep chuckled was heard in the room and the two brothers saw Motochika standing by the door.

"Why are you laughing?" Sima Shi inquired.

"You were a mean old brother," Motochika said in an amused tone.

"No, I wasn't," Sima Shi stared at his brother in a serious way, "Was I, Zhao?"

Sima Zhao gulped and felt the cold inquisitive stare, "…No… Of course not."

"You heard," Sima Shi looked at Motochika and moved away from Sima Zhao's touch. He walked through the room and stopped in front of the shamisen player. "Will you play a song for me tonight?"

"Everything you wish. I can play for you all night long," Motochika replied.

"Er…" Sima Zhao interrupted. "Can you play something more cheerful this time?"

"I play what my artistic soul tells me to at the moment."

"Can you ask your artistic soul to be more cheerful this time? The way you play gives me the creeps."

"…" Motochika said, "I'll try."

It was then they heard a sound coming from outside…

"What was that?" Sima Zhao asked in alarm.

They all stared at each other in silence until they heard, in between the splash of the waves, what seemed to be an unearthly sound, a very mysterious tune that sounded like a lament.

With the same thought in their minds, they only glanced at each other and headed outside to investigate the source of that strange melody.

It was raining heavily, the pouring water soaking them wet the moment they stood at the deck. They had to hold tightly to the railings to be able to resist the harsh movements of the ship. The wind was blowing with enough force to knock down a weak person. The dark gray sky thundered over their heads and made it difficult for them to discern a sound that wasn't the wind and rain. In the middle of the storm, they found out that someone had been there before them. They saw Zhou Yu standing near the bow, enduring the bad weather with a serene expression on his face. His gaze was lost in some mysterious point between the horizon and the water surface.

"Zhou Yu, you're going to catch a cold!" Sima Zhao shouted, but the strategist seemed he couldn't hear him.

Then suddenly the sound was heard again, louder this time, like some phantasmagoric cry that sent shivers down a man's spine and uneasiness to his heart.

They all looked around, trying to find the source of that sound. Then they almost fell when the ship moved abruptly with a sudden wave. The water splashed at the side of the ship with force and soon the air was filled with a cloud of water drops that were lifted up high and then showered down the wooden planks.

A large shadow emerged from the river and for a long time no one could discern its form with all the rain and fog obscuring their view. Then it submerged again.

"Is it gone?" Sima Zhao asked after a while.

"It's following us…" Motochika said after a moment.

At a certain distance, if they focused their gazes on the water, they could see a shadow following the ship's route. Things seemed to have calmed down a little; the rain kept on raining and the wind kept on blowing, but the rage of the river seemed to have subdued... Until they had to hold tightly to the railings again when the ship was hit by another gigantic splash of water. After that they could see the blurry shadow taking the form of a colossal body. It was at a certain distance from them, but if it went closer, it would be able to do serious damage to the ship.

It was then they realized the creature was very real.

Sima Zhao was astonished at the sight, never in his dreams could he image such an animal. "Do you see what I see?" he asked the two men that were in his voice's reach.

Sima Shi just kept staring without saying a word, but Motochika seemed to be about to say something… before the creature made another desperate high-pitched cry.

"I know what it is…" Motochika said with a surprising calm despite the situation. He kept on looking at the aquatic creature for a moment more before saying, "It's a whale. It must be lonely, so it's singing a song to call the others of its kind. It must have been alone for a long time, searching for company through all the sea. It shouldn't be up river… if the whale doesn't go back to the sea waters it will probably end up beached somewhere ahead… It wouldn't be able to take its huge body back to the waters… and then… it would die alone… if the people of some village nearby don't find it… If they do, they will cut the body into pieces to eat its flesh while it's still alive, so the whale would feel its body pierced little by little until the time of death. Even so… it keeps on going up river, unaware of its fate. It seems nothing can stop it though… The whale seems to be determined to swim until it finds a companion… or until it dies."

"Looking at it now, I see that it's such a pitiful creature to risk its life like that… " Sima Shi said.

"I don't think it's meaningless to fight for a purpose… even if it means death in the end." Motochika said, "Don't you agree?"

"If you put it that way… I guess so," Sima Shi reconsidered.

At this moment, Zhou Yu seemed to have moved from his trance-like state and walked towards them. Sima Shi stared at him and saw his clothes were completely soaked and he must have been feeling cold, but, even so, he didn't seem to care or be aware of it. Zhou Yu just stared back at Sima Shi for a moment, until he finally spoke, his voice clear and calm, "I agree, it's not meaningless to fight for a purpose… even if it's to fight to the death… because… death may not be the end."

* * *

**A/N:** So this is another story with ships involved xD I guess it may be the third of fourth, there was a Cid/Vincent, a Seifer/Squall and a Gan Ning/Ling Tong at least, I just love to talk about ships and water xD The only thing I like more than stories about sailing is stories with trips and roads. I say that I write a category of fanfics called: road fics xD Like road movies, I love road movies by the way. I'm digressing…

Thank you** iFanboy** and **Scytherageroses** for the reviews and thank you **Nightlore **for your beta work. I hope **ThoughtsFlyin** is still enjoying this. See you in the next and last chapter when DW8, GTA5 and my job let me post xD


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is the last chapter of the story and I think I should warn people there will be mature content xD I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**Beyond the Night**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

They had been travelling for days until they finally reached their destination and boarded on shore. When the troops left the ships and stood outside, they were greeted by the heavy impact of an immense clear blue sky. It was the purest blue, untainted by any other color, grandiose and omnipresent. There was no shadow of cloud, there was no mark of a tempest, there was only blue.

Motochika stayed at the ships and would come with reinforcements if needed, but Sima Shi didn't expect it would be necessary. It was supposed to be a surprise attack as the enemy wouldn't be prepared for a battle. They came to know that Nobunaga Oda was in the temple of Honnoji without his allies—that had been lost in the chaos that changed time and rearranged the territories years ago. If they defeated Nobunaga, they would be able to seize control of his lands and that was the time for them to take action.

They marched with the troops fast to reach the temple; they couldn't lose time and let the enemy know of their presence; they couldn't allow Nobunaga to escape.

Before they could even see the outline of Honnoji, an arrow came whizzing through the sky, making an arch in Sima Shi's direction. It landed next to the left leg of his horse and buried itself into the sand. Sima Zhao and Zhou Yu stared at Sima Shi in awe and were relieved he was unharmed.

"What does it mean?" Sima Shi asked. As a reply to his question, several soldiers came into view, covering the sight ahead as far as the eyes could reach, heavily armed and prepared for the fight. Sima Shi couldn't believe in what he was seeing, "They shouldn't be here… I thought…"

"Brother," Sima Zhao said as he stared at the massive army that stood not that far from them. They were at least twice the size of the forces they had brought to battle. "Don't you think we should go back?"

Sima Shi kept staring ahead, his head spinning with the emotions of the moment. "Retreat…? No… we won't retreat," he finally decided.

"But, brother!" Sima Zhao was actually taking the situation seriously. He looked at Zhou Yu, pleading for the strategist to convince Sima Shi to give up on his intent, but the man seemed impassive, only staring at the army ahead with no trace of alarm. "Zhou Yu!" Sima Zhao called the man's attention.

The strategist blinked for a moment and lowered his gaze slightly when he heard his name… even so, his expression did not change. "We will continue on our plans."

"Are you serious?!" Sima Zhao asked in alarm.

Zhou Yu only instructed his horse to keep moving forward, as if he was intending to welcome his doom.

"This is crazy… I can't agree on something like this!" Sima Zhao said.

"Then stay back," Sima Shi said as he moved forward with his horse as Zhou Yu did.

Sima Zhao saw the two of them calmly moving ahead and then stared at the expression of fear in their troops' eyes; for a moment, he was unsure of what to do, "Alright… I won't abandon you."

"But lord, Sima Zhao," a soldier said. "You have to convince your brother that all our efforts won't be enough to overcome the opponents' number."

The sight filled the men's heart with dread. The infinite lines of soldiers seemed to spread like a dark cloud over the horizon, like an announcement of tragedy to come.

"Don't worry, men, they know what they're doing," Sima Zhao tried to convince his soldiers and tried to convince himself.

At the time, the day was reaching its last hours and the sun showed itself grandiose, aligned with the horizon. The fiery globe appeared enormous and its rays spread over the land like a burning light that blinded the men's eyes. The entire horizon seemed to be set aflame in vivid red, like an inflamed inferno that melted the skyline. Under this sun, a massive force emerged from the west, covering the rest of the soon to be battlefield with more and more soldiers. That struck the men's hearts with fear and Sima Zhao doubted there was anything he could do to convince their army to move ahead.

Even Sima Shi halted when he saw the big army quickly appear and then surround them, preventing them from a possible escape.

"Impossible… what does it mean? Nobunaga couldn't possibly have such number of reinforcements… He should be alone in the first place." At the time Sima Shi felt his heart trembling… they clearly couldn't come out of that challenge alive.

Sensing Sima Shi's fear, Zhou Yu directed his voice to him in a soothing way, but kept staring ahead in contemplation, "Fear not, my lord."

"Are you out of your mind?" Sima Shi asked.

"No…" Zhou Yu answered, "I have a friend too," he smiled.

As soon as he said that, a horse made his way in their direction and crossed all the distance that separated them from the new arriving force. Not long after, a brown-haired warrior in a red armor was in front of them, staring with fearless eyes and a wide smile.

"Long time no see, my friend," the man said.

Zhou Yu seemed to have lost his words for a heartbeat, but then smiled at him, "Long time no see, lord Sun Ce."

"So you are here to help us?" Sima Shi asked with incredulity.

"Yes, you can count on it. I was there bored when I received a message from my friend Zhou Yu. You should have called me earlier… I was so excited to fight another battle!" Sun Ce said.

"I know," Zhou Yu smiled. "Thank you for coming, lord Sun Ce."

"I couldn't let you down…" Sun Ce smiled and then stared around to see the enemy lines. "Alright, now tell me how did it come to this?"

"I came to know that Mitsuhide was recently found and joined sides with Nobunaga again… They planned to lure their enemies, making them think that Nobunaga was at a vulnerable situation alone in Honnoji, that's when they intended to strike and defeat their enemy forces… but they didn't predict that their enemies would foresee this and be one step ahead… that's when you came into the picture."

"I see…" Sun Ce smiled in amusement. "Well… I'm ready for some action. As I see, if we defeat the commander, their soldiers will lose morale and then this battle will be ours in no time. I'll go after Mitsuhide," he blinked at Zhou Yu and went back to his troops to find and pursue Mitsuhide Akechi.

"Can we trust him?" Sima Shi asked when Sun Ce was out of sight.

"Don't you trust a friend?" Zhou Yu asked.

"What will he gain to help us in this battle?"

"Don't you know that true friends help each other asking nothing in return?" Zhou Yu chuckled when it reminded him of their conversation about Motochika's intentions.

Sima Shi sighed, "Alright… if you trust him…"

It was then they heard the sound of men coming from behind and saw that Motochika had arrived with reinforcements.

"I came here as soon as I heard," Motochika said out of breath. "What happened?" he asked in alarm when he saw the massive army in front of them.

"Well, a lot of things happened," Sima Zhao started. "First we were here and then an arrow came flying and almost hit my brother, but he's okay. Then we found out that Nobunaga wasn't alone after all when Mitsuhide came with his army to defend him. When everyone thought we couldn't win this battle, Zhou Yu's friend arrived with his troops to help us and now he's chasing after Mitsuhide," Sima Zhao explained the situation.

When Motochika heard that, his expression was filled with alarm, "What is Mitsuhide doing here? I thought—"

"He decided to join forces with Nobunaga again," Zhou Yu said.

"It can't be…" Motochika made a motion to move forward, but Sima Shi prevented him, grabbing him by his kimono and pulling him to his direction, so their faces were almost touching.

"What do you think you're doing?" Sima Shi asked dangerously.

"I'm going to find Mitsuhide," Motochika replied.

"You're telling me you're—"

"I won't betray you…" Motochika said and freed himself from Sima Shi's grasp. "I will never betray you, my friend." He stared one last time at Sima Shi before running with his horse in the direction of the enemy lines.

Sima Shi watched him go before taking a deep breath and commanding his army to attack.

xxx

The battle was balanced thanks to reinforcements to Sima Shi's army. The situation continued that way into the night, no force strong enough to overcome the other. There was no indication that one side would be victorious if something did not happen to change that balance. It was then that in the beginning of the darkness of night, Motochika saw a long-haired samurai with fair skin and incredibly beautiful features that he would never mistake; at the gates of Honnoji, he found Mitsuhide Akechi . However, he hadn't be the first to find him as Sun Ce stood in front of him, his tonfas ready to strike another blow.

"Ah, lord Motochika!" Mitsuhide exclaimed when he realized his friend was there.

Sun Ce lowered down his tonfas for a moment when he saw the newcomer.

Motochika walked towards them with an indescribable expression on his face and stopped beside Sun Ce, putting a hand on the Little Conqueror's shoulder. "Let me talk to him," he said in a deep voice.

"Will you let him escape?" Sun Ce asked.

"No… I just want to talk to him."

Sun Ce was unsure for a moment, but saw that deeply into Motochika's eyes there was something that burned with a deep emotion, and he respected that. "Alright… but I'll be waiting around… He is surrounded, you two can't leave this place unless you fight me and my men."

"Don't worry, I'm not willing to fight you," Motochika said.

Sun Ce nodded and went back to stay with his men.

"Why are you here, lord Motochika?" Mitsuhide asked in a soft voice.

"I'm here to help a friend; I didn't know you would be here."

"I haven't heard a word of you in all these years… if I had… maybe…"

"You should have come to me; you know your fate is not at Nobunaga's side."

"I know… but it's too late now…" Mitsuhide lowered his gaze and sighed.

"It's not too late!" Motochika closed the distance between them and put his hands on each of Mitsuhide's arms. "You still have a choice."

Mitsuhide stared deeply at Motochika's eyes, "What should I do?"

"You should… rebel."

xxx

"So you're here to kill my husband, Mitsuhide," the woman's voice resounded over the room like a sweet poison. She was dressed in a purple revealing attire, that embraced her sinfully attractive body in a seductive way; she had the face of a devious angel that would transform nightmares into dreams and dreams into nightmares.

"I'm here to talk to him," Mitsuhide said to N ō.

"You take me for a fool; I know where this conversation will lead."

"Stay out of the way," Motochika said.

Nōhime laughed soundly, "Look who's here too, what a surprise! Or should I say, it's not a surprise at all. Of course, you were the one who was putting these ideas of rebellion into Mitsuhide's head."

"No, these ideas came from myself… lord Motochika has just opened up my eyes to my true feelings."

"Well… whatever it is." N ō said as she prepared to fight. "I can't let you two bother my husband, can I?"

It was then that a deep chuckle echoed through the air and Nobunaga showed himself in the room—his tall and dark presence emanating an imposing aura as if he were the devil himself coming out from hell to conquer the world in his dark shining armor. His footsteps soundly reverberated throughout the place as he came closer and closer, dangerous closer. "N ō, let me handle this myself."

"If you wish, my dear… It looks like it will be bothersome though…"

"So you finally came here," Nobunaga smirked. "I knew it would happen one day… again," he chuckled in amusement.

It was then that Sima Shi arrived with his allies. The battle had practically come to an end as soon as Mitsuhide ordered the army to seize their attack. The only thing left for their victory was to defeat the Demon King Nobunaga Oda. They all prepared to fight that last battle when Mitsuhide raised an arm as a sign for them to halt their advance.

"I need to fight this battle alone," Mitsuhide said.

Motochika pleaded with his eyes for Sima Shi and Sun Ce not to get involved and then he gazed at Mitsuhide in a reassuring way, "You can do this."

Mitsuhide nodded and smiled at Motochika before reading himself for that last battle.

xxx

"This is not the end," Nobunaga said while he stared at the point of the blade directed at him. He was then on the floor, defeated.

Mitsuhide looked deeply into his former lord's eyes and prepared himself for the final strike… that never came. "Go…" he finally said.

Nōhime took the opportunity to lead her husband out of the room and out of everyone's sight, vanishing in the darkness with her demon king.

"Why did you let him go?" Motochika asked in astonishment.

"I want to make things different now…" Mitsuhide paused for a moment as he saw a painful flash of memory run through his eyes. "Besides… blood only leads to more blood."

"He will come back to haunt us." Motochika said gravely.

"Not if I can do anything about it." Sun Ce said as he took a step forward. "If you need help, just call me and I'll fight the battle with you."

"The same here, my friend," Sima Shi said. "You helped me and I have to repay you."

Mitsuhide smiled at that, "You see, lord Motochika, we don't have to worry when we have our friends to fight by our side."

"You're right," Motochika smiled.

"Now," Zhou Yu said. "I guess we should make preparations for the night."

"Aren't we going to celebrate?" Sima Zhao asked.

"Yeah, celebrating sounds good," Sun Ce agreed.

"I guess we should leave this for tomorrow," Zhou Yu smiled sympathetically. "The men are all tired from the battle, we should let them rest and then… we can think of what to do next."

"Alright," Sima Zhao said. "I guess I'm a little tired anyway…" he yawned and stretched his arms lazily.

"I'm not tired," Sun Ce said.

"Then you can come with me and take a look around."

Sun Ce put his hands on his waist and sighed in defeat, "I guess I have no other choice…"

Zhou Yu chuckled in amusement. It was good to be in the company of his old friend after so long. Sima Shi, however, didn't seem so happy as he stared at the two talking.

"Where are you going, brother?" Sima Zhao said as he saw Sima Shi walking out of the room.

"I'm going to find a place to rest… I have a headache right now."

"Are you alright?" Sima Zhao came quickly to his brother's side and put a hand on his back. "Are you hurt?" he asked in concern.

"No… I'm fine… I just… can't stay here anymore…"

"I won't let you walk around alone in this state! I'll come with you!" Sima Zhao said as he accompanied his brother out of the room.

They all stared at the scene awkwardly; as they watched the two sons of Sima Yi leave them.

"What happened?" Motochika asked.

Zhou Yu stared in uneasiness for a moment, before he spoke, "I guess he wasn't feeling well… for some reason."

"Why all this commotion?" Sun Ce asked, feeling a strange mood in the air. "The guy didn't look so good, but he didn't look so bad either. I'm sure that a good night's rest will make him feel better."

That made the air feel less heavy and dissipated the surge of worry in Motochika's and Zhou Yu's chest.

"I guess you're right," Zhou Yu said.

"So let's go, do whatever you wanted to."

"Alright, let's go," Zhou Yu turned his head to stare at Motochika for a moment and saw a nod from the Japanese warrior, before leaving the room.

"I can't believe this all happened," Mitsuhide said when he was alone with Motochika.

"It must have been fate," Motochika said.

"I wonder where he is now…"

Motochika grabbed Mitsuhide's wrist and made him look at him. "Let us not talk about him now. Tell me, where have you been?"

"That's… a long story…" Mitsuhide started, but stopped when he felt arms around him in a strong hold, so he was pressed to Motochika's body, feeling the heat of his skin.

"You can tell me all the details later, as we have all the time in the world now that we met again… You will come with me, won't you?" Motochika lowered his head to stare at Mitsuhide's eyes again.

"Yes," Mitsuhide said before he took Motochika's hand in his and kissed his gloved fingers in longing. "We shall never be apart again."

"Good," Motochika smiled.

xxx

"It was fun, you know," Sun Ce told Zhou Yu when they were alone at the garden. "The feeling of the battle, to feel that heat of adrenaline again. I've been there with my family for a long time and there was nothing else to do because we had conquered all the nearby lands already."

"I actually enjoy times of peace," Zhou Yu said as he felt the quiet darkness of the night whisper to him in a soothing way.

"But you were the one to start this battle," Sun Ce pointed out.

"It wasn't my idea."

"But you agreed on it. You said yes, when you could have said no."

"Indeed…" Zhou Yu sighed. "It was my choice."

"And it was your choice to stay away from us for that long. You know, we had been worried about you, but it relieved us when we received that message years ago when you said that you were well. Why didn't you return to us?"

Zhou Yu was at a loss for words… he had been thinking the same thing every day for those years.

"You don't need to say anything," Sun Ce said as he looked up at the starlit sky. "You had your reasons. I'm just glad you are alright… and I want to let you know that you can come back whenever you feel like, we will welcome you back any time."

"Sun Ce…" Zhou Yu whispered when he stared at his old friend, there was a burning emotion in his chest, something that he couldn't put into words.

The Little Conqueror stared at his friend and saw the troubled feelings that lay underneath those eyes. He smiled at him reassuringly, "It's alright."

"How have you been throughout all these years?" Zhou Yu asked with an uncontained emotion.

"I've been well… I have my dad, my brother and sister and my friends… I was not alone. I was never alone."

"I'm sorry…" Zhou Yu said.

"I said it's alright," Sun Ce put a hand on the strategist's shoulder and massaged it to comfort him. "Listen," he brushed Zhou Yu's hair out of the side of his face and brushed his lips over his ear. "I'm just glad you're well and alive, that's all I have to know… We must be far from each other, but you're always with me…" Sun Ce touched the left side of his own chest. "Right here with me."

Zhou Yu let a single tear fall down his face, "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I missed our times together and our talks. I missed the times when we adventured together and when we battled together and fought side by side… Those were the best years of my life."

"Those were the best years of my life too."

"But now… now you have a new life and you need to live this new life now that you have the chance… Just tell me you will call me again to fight another battle with you… I'll die of boredom if I stay for long in my castle."

Zhou Yu chuckled, "Alright."

"Well… it's time to sleep now. I guess I'm finally tired."

Zhou Yu saw Sun Ce stretching his arms and walking out of the garden, "Will you be alright?"

"Of course," Sun Ce turned his head and gave Zhou Yu a reassuring smile before disappearing in the darkness of the night.

Zhou Yu still walked alone at night, wandering at the outer corridors and halls of Honnoji, lost in his thoughts and the feelings in his chest. When he finally got tired of walking, he went back inside and wasn't that much surprised to see Sima Zhao in a dark corridor near the rooms, resting with his arms crossed and his back against the wall. His eyes were lost, deep in thought, in a pensive way. For a moment, Zhou Yu thought of just leaving him alone, but it was too late when he saw Sima Zhao's head turning in his direction.

"Took you long enough," the younger man smiled.

"Have you been waiting for me?" Zhou Yu arched a fine eyebrow in question.

"Not me…" Sima Zhao grinned as he saw the confused expression on the strategist's face. "You used to be smarter than that!" he chuckled. "Come on, he's inside the room."

"You mean…" Zhou Yu saw Sima Zhao nodding. "Is he well? I thought he was—"

"He's fine!" Sima Zhao laughed. "He's just so dramatic sometimes, you know him."

That made Zhou Yu chuckle, "I guess so."

"So are you going to stand here all night?" Sima Zhao moved from his resting position on the wall to stand upright. "Alright, I'm going to my room now. It's just across the hall, if you need me… but I guess I won't be seeing you again tonight…"

The indiscreet comment made Zhou Yu's face grow bright red in embarrassment.

"Come on, don't make that face, forget I was here, I'm leaving already." Sima Zhao started to walk in the direction of his room, but turned once more to stare at Zhou Yu. "I've been here thinking… how lucky my brother is. You definitely look good tonight." After saying that, Sima Zhao turned definitively and left the strategist alone.

For a moment, Zhou Yu just stared at the door, but finally opened it and entered the room. The place would be all dark if it wasn't for a single lamp that illuminated the room faintly with its delicate burning light. Sima Shi was standing in the middle of the room, silently, just staring at his strategist, until his voice floated through the room in a question.

"Have you come to a decision?"

Zhou Yu walked across the room without saying a word, clutched his hands to Sima Shi's upper clothes in a desperate manner and answered him with a kiss. Although Zhou Yu's lips were pressed to his, Sima Shi stood unmoving and silent, making the strategist back away from him and stare at him in deep confusion.

"Kiss me again," Sima Shi said. "It took you so long for you to make up your mind. Prove me that you mean it."

Zhou Yu had to hold back tears after hearing those words, all his body melting and trembling with a deep emotion. He lifted his hands to touch Sima Shi's face and removed his mask, letting it fall down to the floor. Zhou Yu stared at his face and then kissed him again more desperately than the first time, but that time, he was answered in the same manner. He felt Sima Shi's lips brushing against his, taking his and tasting him in a not so gentle way, but Zhou Yu didn't mind it as he kissed him with the same uncontrollable passion, the same craving.

Guided by a deep emotion, Zhou Yu led his lips over Sima Shi's neck and slid down over his chest, lowering his body in a feverish way until he ended up kneeling on the floor, embracing Sima Shi's knees and lowering his head as if he had lost his senses. Sima Shi stared down in wonder and ended up lowering himself too, crouching on the floor to be in the same level as Zhou Yu. He slid his hand over his beloved's long black hair, brushing the bangs out of his face in a tender manner before kissing his temple kindly. What happened was that emotions hidden for too long were too strong for Zhou Yu; there at the floor he felt a mixture of despair and yearning that exhaled from his body in the air. Sima Shi felt that too, overwhelmed by a once restrained desire, then it struck him full force, making him behave in a feverish passionate state. Led by his lust, Sima Shi laid Zhou Yu on a futon nearby and started working on his clothes in a desperate way. Zhou Yu felt his clothes being opened and removed from his body until he lay exposed on a heap of fabrics and he let that happen with no complaints. Sima Shi stared at his body illuminated by the dim lamp light and delighted himself with the sight. He touched Zhou Yu's neck and slid his hand over his chest and his torso, continuing his way down until he gripped the base of lover's member unashamedly. Sima Shi slid his hand up to the tip and repeated it until the strategist was fully erect. He moved his thumb over the head in a circular motion and then slid it over the slit, receiving some droplets of pre-cum that he smeared over the head. He then traced all the length with his fingers in a light and teasing way and saw that Zhou Yu endured all that without complaints. Sima Shi smirked slightly before circling the organ again with his palm and starting to move it up and down in a continuous way applying enough pressure to make the other man pant in pleasure. Sima Shi enjoyed the reaction he got: Zhou Yu's barely contained moans of pleasure and his body arching up for his touch. He enjoyed the power he had over Zhou Yu in his hands and smiled in wicked satisfaction with his devious plan. He stopped and moved his hand away, receiving a confused glare from his lover.

"Well, after all this time you refused me, you need to suffer a little. I guess you need to prove me you really want me. Show me what you can do."

Zhou Yu felt so much the loss of Sima Shi's touch, but he decided to accept his punishment and concentrate on his efforts to please him. He saw that the man was opening his robe, inviting him to touch his body, so Zhou Yu moved in closer and slid his hand over his abdomen and down his crotch, starting to masturbate him. As his hand moved over Sima Shi's member, he gave wet kisses over his collarbone before doing the same to his chest. He started to nibble on one nipple; sliding his lips over it and closing them on it, making it harden. When he increased the pace on Sima Shi's cock, he moved his head up again and kissed him. He moved his wet lips over his new lover's wet lips while he kept on masturbating him. Sima Shi welcomed Zhou Yu's mouth in an eager way, tasting it with his tongue and nipping on his lips, until he felt the mouth move away from him. Zhou Yu lowered his face to Sima Shi's lap and moved his hand to the base of his cock, so he could give it a tentative lick at the head. He saw that Sima Shi thrust his hips up involuntarily and tried to hold him down with his other hand. He gave the tip another lick, before tasting all the length from base and up with his tongue. Zhou Yu kept on doing it, lapping at the underside and sides, before he started to suck on the length, without putting it in his mouth completely. That was driving Sima Shi crazy because he wanted to feel that hot mouth all over him and after a moment more of teasing his wish was finally granted. Zhou Yu put the organ into his mouth and sealed it with his lips before sucking. He started to move his head up and down while he sucked, moving his hand over the parts of the organ he couldn't fit into his mouth.

Sima Shi thought that it would be finished soon if he didn't put a stop to it, so he asked for Zhou Yu to stop with some reluctance. He laid him back on the futon and made him spread his legs. Sima Shi disappeared from view for a while but soon returned. Zhou Yu felt a slick finger circle his entrance and took a deep breath before feeling it entering slowly. He took a little while to get used to the intrusion, but willed his body to relax. He closed his eyes and tried to control his breathing while Sima Shi worked the second finger in. Soon he felt the fingers were gone and his body trembled in anticipation. He felt Sima Shi's body accommodate between his legs and his member making its way inside. Zhou Yu gripped the sheets tightly and tried to calm himself even though it felt like it was tearing him apart.

"Is it okay?" Sima Shi asked while he felt the resistance of the muscles around him.

"Yes," Zhou Yu said. "It's been a while that's all."

Sima Shi tried to have patience, but he was having a hard time to hold back. He tried to move again slowly but found it difficult to go in further. "Zhou Yu..."

Zhou Yu tried to relax his muscles to let more of the length in, "Go on."

Sima Shi moved half way in and tried to force it a bit more inside, before moving back and trying again. He kept on moving in and out slowly until he could enter most of his length, so he could build up a pace. Zhou Yu started to get used to it and moved his body in rhythm with the thrusts, feeling his body heat up. He was panting heavily when Sima Shi pulled him up and made him sit on his lap. Zhou Yu wrapped his arms around his neck and stared at his eyes for an order. Sima Shi said nothing as he led his hands to Zhou Yu's hips and just held him in that position. Zhou Yu lifted himself up slightly and went back down in one motion burying himself on Sima Shi's hard cock. They both gasped in pleasure and Zhou Yu repeated the move again, lifting his body up and sliding his way down. Sima Shi let the strategist set the pace and felt him build up the rhythm, losing control of all his restraints, moving in lustful filled despair. Sima Shi moved one hand back to Zhou Yu's cock and led him to a fully hard state. As he felt his pleasure building up more and more, Sima Shi moved his hand faster, feeling Zhou Yu's organ pulsating hotly against his palm, until he felt rivulets of come falling down his hand. The muscles around his organ closed in incredibly tightly making him shoot his seed inside Zhou Yu's body.

They both stayed in each other's arms exhausted, holding onto one another tightly for support. When the heat of pleasure finally died down they moved away from each other to clean themselves.

A long quietness spread itself over the night before Zhou Yu's voice broke the spell of silence, "Can I turn off the light?"

"Let there be darkness," Sima Shi whispered.

The small flames vanished in the night's air, but the room didn't found itself in total darkness as the pale veil of the moon covered the place in a faint blue misty light.

Zhou Yu came to rest beside Sima Shi's body and heard him say, "What will become of us after this night? Will you vanish after the morning's light like a dream that never really existed?"

"I'm willing to stay with you for more than this one night."

…And no more words were needed as they remained together in that forgotten world of a lost age, inside the thick darkness of a timeless time.

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**The End**

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**A/N: Special thanks to iFanboy, Scytherageroses,ThoughtsFlyin,lolita-princess95, Brianne M.Y and BlackHreat for the reviews and favorites and special thanks to my beta-reader Nightlore. You all are important to me and I'm happy for all the support :)**

**The battle chosen and the characters present weren't as random as it may seem xD As I said it's inspired in WO3 events. Sima Shi and Motochika share a special bond, and yes, it was something like I wrote in the fic… I thought it was so awkward… Mitsuhide was there beside them in the camp and Motochika saying those things to Sima Shi… "Have you no shame of hitting on Sima Shi in front of Mitsuhide?" The idea for the sailing adventure was from one of Sima Shi's battle as he is at Tong gate, if I'm not mistaken, and there are those ships there at the stage. Yes, I do love to talk about water, seas, rivers, ships…**

**Sun Ce had to be there in the story because of Zhou Yu and I hope it makes sense in the end, because there is a reason in the plot for it. Of the battles I could choose, I chose Honnoji because it's one of Sun Ce's and Zhou Yu's battles in the game. As I had Motochika already in the story, that battle would make more sense, as his husband is in it, even though Motochika doesn't participate in the battle in WO3. I just kept thinking while I was playing… What Motochika would think of Sun Ce's obsession of fighting Mitsuhide in the game if he was there at the battle xD I guess Motochika appears more in this story than in the first story I wrote that he was present. It was a special appearance in one of my Final Fantasy 8 fics. I like him a lot, I think he looks like a Visual Kei artist xD I think I liked the Neo-Japanesque style. I even listened to some J-Rock bands I used to listen in the past as I wrote this story. **

**So this is it, I hope you liked it. Now I'm going to work on the last chapter of my Gan Ning/Ling Tong fic "In Your Dreams".**

**See ya.**


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